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the meaning of resistance – Imam Khamenei

What does resistance mean? It means that the people of Iran stand up for the ideals of the Revolution. Well, we have both affirmative and negative [in logic, an affirmative proposition is a statement that asserts something and a negative proposition is a statement which denies or negates something] slogans. These are our affirmative slogans: we are after social justice, we are after public presence in different events of the country, we are after Islam, we think that the happiness of the country lies in observing Islamic teachings, we are after an independent economy, we are after the kind of culture which is independent of foreigners, we are after a completely Islamic and Iranian culture, we are after offering refuge to the oppressed and confronting the oppressor, we are after the progress of the country, we are after the scientific prominence of our country and we want our country to play a leading and pioneering role in economy, culture, social issues, morality and spirituality. These are the affirmative slogans of our Revolution.

Our Revolution had also certain negative slogans. These are the negative slogans of the Revolution: we do not give in to bullying and blackmailing and we do not give in to arrogance.

Arrogance means that a few powers – which have gained materialistic capabilities and which have weapons, money and other such things – want to rule over the world. And today, arrogance is manifested by America. During the Revolution, during subsequent events and during the imposed war, the people of Iran said, “We do not give in to America’s bullying and blackmailing”.

Some people should not put make-up on the face of America and erase the ugly parts, savagery and violence from its face. They should not describe America as a friendly and philanthropic government to our people. Even if these people make an effort to do this, their effort will be vain. Notice what America has done throughout the world over the last 70, 80 years – of course, there are many things in the history of America before this era which I do not want to discuss now. Take a look at the wars which America has waged, the innocent and civilian people whom it has viciously killed in these wars and in other events and the dictators which have been supported by America in the East and in the West.

One of these dictators was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in Iran and tens of other such dictators in Asian, African and Latin American countries including military and non-military figures. These dictators oppressed their people for many years. They viciously oppressed the people, they looted their wealth and they created many disasters for them. This support for dictators exists in the performance sheet of America.

An example is its support of international and governmental terrorism. The fake and criminal Zionist regime, which has usurped Palestine, has been receiving support from America for tens of years. It kills people, destroys houses, oppresses and imprisons youth, women, men and children.

The Zionists have attacked Beirut, they have destroyed Sabra and Shatila and they have committed many other crimes. These measures have been recorded in the performance sheet of America. It launched an attack on Iraq and it killed tens of thousands of people. We do not know the exact figure. It is estimated that in recent years, the Americans have killed around one million Iraqi people directly or indirectly.

I do not know the exact figure, but at least tens of thousands of people have been killed. Even killing one person is enough for this act to be condemned. In Afghanistan, they are committing crimes in a different way.

They have established certain terrorist organizations for killing people. In a certain meeting, I mentioned the name of one of these organizations. They have established the well-known Blackwater company whose job is to kill, to create terror and to destroy people. It was the Americans who first established these extremist, murderous and takfiri groups. Of course, in the present time, this bullet which the Americans fired has ricocheted and has hit themselves. The government of America is such a government.

The issue is not about the people of America. They are like other people. The issue is about the regime and the government of America. How can this face be beautified with make-up while these acts are in front of the eyes of the people of Iran?

How did we people of Iran suffer from these crimes? Around 25, 26, 30 years – from the coup d’état launched on the 28th of Mordad of 1332 to the year 1357 – the people of Iran suffered from the oppressive regime of Mohammad Reza and after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the people of Iran were faced with many oppressive, malevolent and evil acts.

The people only remember the recent sanctions, but they started imposing sanctions from the beginning of the Revolution. In the beginning of the Revolution, the Americans supported anyone who wanted to do something against the Revolution. The Americans did not care if these people were leftist, rightist, military or non-military figures. They did their best to help anyone who had certain motives against the Islamic Revolution. These people took the form of ethnic groups and many other different forms.

The last plot which the people of Iran saw with their own eyes was the fitna of the year 1388. The President of America shamelessly supported the provokers of fitna in Tehran. At the present time too, they are supporting them. This is the list of the malevolent acts that they have committed. Today, many of their evil intentions over which they used to draw a veil are gradually becoming clear.

This year, I said in Mashhad – in Samen al-Hujaj’s holy shrine – on the first day of the year 1392, that I am alright with negotiations. I said that a number of officials and executives of both the previous administrations and the current administration think that we should negotiate with the Americans on the nuclear issue so that it can be resolved. I said, “Well now that you insist, you can go and negotiate with them particularly on this issue”. But during the same speech in the beginning of the year, I said, “I am not optimistic. I do not oppose you, but I am not optimistic”.